How To Disable Lion's 'Resume' Feature - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How To Disable Lion's 'Resume' Feature

by

lionrestore
Resume is one of the main new features to OS X Lion, one taken directly from iOS:

Now apps you close will reopen right where you left off, so you never have to start from scratch again. And when you install software updates, you no longer need to save your work, close your apps, and spend valuable time setting everything up again. With Resume, you can restart your Mac and return to what you were doing — with all your apps in the places where you left them.

Now, this feature might be all well and good, but what if you want your Mac to behave like it did in Snow Leopard? Resume can be easily disabled, but the option is fairly hidden.

Head to System Preferences and select the General tab. At the bottom of that page is a checkbox labeled "Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps." If you uncheck that, your apps will continue to behave as they did in Snow Leopard.

Hat tip OS X Daily.

Top Rated Comments

ovrlrd Avatar
193 months ago
This is the best tip and I am surprised it's not mentioned in the article:

Hate the new resume feature and how you end up with a bunch of old windows/tabs open when you launch Safari, QuickTime, or any app that uses Lion's new resume feature?

Well a simple three button keyboard shortcut will save you all the trouble:

⌥ + ⌘ + Q
(thats Option + Command + Q)

Simply press these keys when you want to quit an app and the next time you open it, the last opened windows/tabs will not be resumed and you will start with a fresh app.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
193 months ago


Resume is a really good feature, just not while using Safari.

I hope when you say that you're referring to 'online banking' ;)
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GenesisST Avatar
193 months ago
I hope when you say that you're referring to 'online banking' ;)

There's private browsing for 'online banking', so your wife doesn't your weird tastes in "bank accounts"... :D
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tronic Avatar
193 months ago
I wish you could pick and choose what apps to use this for. There are certain programs I like to start fresh with whenever I close them. Ie firefox, iTunes, Photoshop.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
193 months ago
How is that "fairly hidden"?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
193 months ago
am i the only one that likes this feature?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

M5 Vision Pro Thumb 2

Apple Has Given Up on the Vision Pro After M5 Refresh Flop

Wednesday April 29, 2026 11:31 am PDT by
Apple has all but given up on the Vision Pro after the M5 model failed to revitalize interest in the device, MacRumors has learned. Apple updated the Vision Pro with a faster M5 chip and a more comfortable band in October 2025, but there were no other hardware changes, and consumers still weren't interested. The Vision Pro has been criticized for its high price tag and its uncomfortable...
app store monthly sub commitment

Apple Introduces App Store Monthly Subscriptions With 12-Month Commitment

Monday April 27, 2026 12:52 pm PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of a new subscription option for App Store developers: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. The new option allows developers to offer subscribers discounted pricing typically associated with an annual subscription but paid on a monthly basis to keep payments more affordable. This new payment option allows you to offer subscribers more affordable...
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro to Launch in September With These 10 New Features

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:35 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...